The working trip of General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse will take place from November 17 to 20 at the invitation of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a communiqué.
Since its establishment in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has continued to affirm its role as the premier regional economic integration mechanism, pioneering and leading the trend of economic, trade, and investment liberalization across the region and the globe, while making vital contributions to economic growth and the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific region.
APEC cooperation centers on three primary pillars: trade and investment liberalization, business facilitation, and economic and technical cooperation, alongside capacity building and equitable, sustainable development.
The forum currently comprises 21 member economies, representing approximately 37% of the global population and contributing 62% of world GDP and 48% of global trade. Vietnam became an official member of APEC in 1998.
APEC brings together 15 of Vietnam’s 30 strategic and comprehensive partners, serving as Vietnam’s foremost economic and trade partners—accounting for over 77% of Vietnam’s total trade, nearly 81% of foreign direct investment, and more than 85% of international tourist arrivals. Furthermore, 13 out of the 19 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that Vietnam is currently implementing or negotiating involve APEC members, and 17 of the other 20 APEC member economies are Vietnam’s FTA partners.
China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam on January 18, 1950. The two nations established their Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in 2008.
In 2023, both sides issued a joint statement on elevating their Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advancing the building of a Vietnam–China Community with a Shared Future that carries strategic significance.
During the state visit to China by General Secretary and State President To Lam in April, the two sides issued a joint statement on further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promoting the building of a Vietnam–China Community with a Shared Future of strategic significance at a higher level in the new era.
In 2025, China remained Vietnam’s largest trading partner, while Vietnam stood as China’s largest trading partner within ASEAN and its fourth-largest single-country trading partner worldwide.
Regarding investment, accumulated through the end of October 2026, China recorded more than 7,487 active investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital exceeding 38.153 billion USD, ranking sixth among 154 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
In tourism cooperation, Vietnam welcomed 5.28 million Chinese arrivals in 2025—a 41.3% increase—accounting for 25% of total international visitors to Vietnam and leading all international source markets.
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